Alan G. Rosenbloom

The head of a new long-term care pharmacy advocacy group urged Congress on Thursday to exempt Medicare beneficiaries in nursing homes and assisted living facilities from a plan that would require them to use a single pharmacy for all medications.

With $9 billion in Budget Relief Act sequester cuts to the U.S. skilled nursing facility (SNF) sector now just weeks away following the latest cut of at least $600 million in Medicare Part B therapy payments after passage of the American Tax Relief Act of 2012 (ATRA), we are making it a priority this month to ensure Congress carefully reviews the cascade of budget and regulatory changes since 2009 that leaves the nation's second largest health facility employer facing a staggering $65.6 billion in Medicare funding reductions over the next ten years.

Despite the customary complaints about negativity and the avalanche of TV ads, the 2012 campaign was unusually substantive from the standpoint of the entitlement reform discussion because both sides were required to make their best arguments about how we as a nation will protect seniors' Medicare funding in an era of unprecedented fiscal chaos.

In order to survive an uncertain financial and regulatory environment, skilled nursing operators need to look at partnering with other healthcare systems and improving the quality of care, analysts say.

Ohio skilled nursing facilities have shed or plan to shed 2,800 jobs in the wake of recent Medicare and Medicaid cuts, new survey results show. It could be just the start of losses to be felt around the country.

According to The Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care, the ACA tackles the issue of costly hospital readmissions by focusing on hospitals, but ignores skilled nursing facilities. The Alliance has therefore proposed an interim solution based on proposals the Obama administration has offered the "super committee."

President Obama's proposed $3 trillion new deficit-reduction plan would reduce Medicare spending by $248 billion and Medicaid spending by $72 billion over 10 years. Administration officials say that most of the savings would be achieved by reducing Medicare overpayments to doctors and other healthcare providers.

Provider groups are concerned that President Obama's newly unveiled $447 billion jobs plan will eat away at job growth in the healthcare sector, which is one place advocates say the economy is growing.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should keep Medicare payment rates to skilled nursing facilities at the current level for one year, instead of implementing an 11.3% cut in fiscal year 2012, says LeadingAge, a top lobbying organization for providers, in comments submitted to the federal agency.

Appearing in a hearing before the House Education and Workforce Committee on Thursday, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius went to bat for the Obama administration's entitlement reform plan in the Affordable Care Act. She also criticized Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-WI) FY 2012 budget proposal, according to a report from The Hill.

To strengthen providers' argument that the GOP's proposed Medicare changes would endanger employees' livelihoods, the Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care has released a report showing the industry's strength as a job creator.

The Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care is launching a new ad campaign to remind lawmakers that skilled nursing and rehabilitation service facilities are the second-largest health facility employer in the United States.